


Under Your Spell

by ieatravioli



Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-30
Updated: 2012-05-23
Packaged: 2017-11-04 14:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/395038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ieatravioli/pseuds/ieatravioli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Drive Crossover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am sticking as close the movie as I can, there are some changes here and there. Enjoy!

“There are a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place; I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. Do you understand?”

A pause and what sound like a gasp on the other end of the phone before a sharp OK comes in response. 

“Good. And you won't be able to reach me on this phone again.”

~~

The city at night is something Mark enjoys second to driving. The bright lights blinking in the darkness, they remind him of fireflies from his childhood. His eyes barely blink as he smoothly steers his car into a dark corner, eyes flicking to the rear view mirror to spot the two men who were supposed to be waiting for him. 

He spots them loitering at a steel gate. Mark immediately thinks they are idiots. Standing there with obvious black haversacks in their hands and knitted balaclava’s covering their faces. He waits patiently for them to notice him and he watches as one throws a cigarette to the ground, the orange light fading once it hits a puddle on the pavement. They hop in the back seat and Mark takes off.

A few moments later they arrive outside a poorly secured warehouse, an easy target for buffoons like these. 

He taps his watch at them before they hop out, reminding them of their five minute time slot. He turns his radio up, listening out for the basketball score, not really interested in the game. He has a police radio in the other hand a nice gadget he had come to acquire over the years. A gadget that had saved him from incarceration on more than one occasion.

He starts to fidget with the toothpick dangling from his lips when one of the men bound out of the warehouse and into the back of his Chevy Impala. The black haversack looks heavier than it had been at the start of the night. 

The clock is ticking and the man starts groaning for his friend to come out. Mark’s leather bound hands clench over the steering wheel as his ears listen out for the police radio. With less than a minute left, the other man finally exits the building. Just as he is about to hop in the car, Mark hears the announcement over the radio that there had been an armed robbery in the warehouse. Without checking whether the man had closed the door or not, Mark presses down on the accelerator and drives off. 

“Suspect vehicle- a silver Chevy Impala, male driver and two other passengers in the back seat”

The two men in the back lower themselves and Marks eyes scan the road ahead. He startles when he sees a police car headed his way and swerves behind a truck parked on the side of the road. He switches his lights off and keeps his hand firmly on the steering wheel and his eyes on the rear view mirror. 

The police car drives past and Mark pulls out. He drives carefully, abiding the rules of the road and the two men are asking him what the hell he is thinking, urging him to drive faster. Mark ignores their inane voices and finds himself at a set of traffic lights directly opposite a cop car. 

The squeak of leather from his brown gloves is eerie in the car and over the police radio Mark hears the cop in front of him raise his suspicions. When his light turns green, Mark swiftly turns right and speeds down the road. The cop car follows him with lights flashing, the red and blue shining manically in Mark’s eyes. 

Without fear he lifts the hand break and keeps his foot pressed on the clutch, making a brilliant 90 degree turn onto a dark alley, losing the cop car immediately. He makes his way up the ramp to the highway and keeps his eyes focused on the helicopter hovering dangerously near. It isn’t long until he is spotted again, this time by the helicopter’s bright spotlight. He nearly curses in anger when he swerves past it, driving at a high speed down the wide highway, dodging fellow drivers who are honking their horns furiously at him.  
The spotlight is firmly on his car and at the last second he pulls off down another ramp and takes another sharp turn until he is under a bridge. Once again he switches his lights off and waits. 

He can hear his passengers breathing heavily in fear and excitement. Mark’s teeth grind down onto the wooden toothpick and after a minute, the spotlight is clear of them and there are no cop cars in sight. Without hesitation, Mark drives as fast as he can until he finds himself in traffic. The police radio once again rang out with his whereabouts and on the car radio, the commentary for the basketball is yelling about how great the end of the match was. 

Ignoring the distant sound of police sirens, Mark pulls up to the Staple centre.

“What the-“ he hears one of the men say as he drives into the huge parking garage where there was a long line of cars waiting to leave. The garage and the Staple centre were crowded with people, perfect for Mark’s current situation. 

Just as the cops make their way into the garage, Mark pulls into an empty space and jumps out of the car. He takes his jacket off, silver with an orange scorpion donned over the back of it, and turns it inside out until it was just black. He drapes it over his shoulder and puts a baseball hat on, covering his messy curls and his blue eyes.

He strolls out the gateway, even bumping into a police officer for good measure before he takes off in direction of his apartment. 

~~

He hates walking, obviously preferring to be behind the wheels of a car but Mark finds himself at home before he knows it. He looks up at the grey building that is his apartment and flings his keys up in the air and catches them again. He sighs before he pulls open the door and makes his way over to the elevator. 

The elevator opens just as he was about to walk into it and a familiar looking man steps out. Tall and tanned, wearing a waiter’s outfit for their local diner, Mark notices the way he smiles in a friendly way towards Mark before he walks into the elevator. 

~~

The following day Mark shows up at work, on time surprisingly. He is wearing an extremely uncomfortable cop outfit and almost laughs at the irony of his latest role. 

Dustin is pacing in front of him, limping slightly on his right leg. Mark never asked him what happened to his leg but assumed it wasn’t pretty. He is running his mouth about how much money this role will give Mark and how it is an exciting time for them both. 

Mark focuses on the rippling motion in his coffee and smirks when he hears what he was waiting for.

“So you will split it with me right? The money I mean”.

He hears the makeup artist call out for her people and Mark puts his coffee cup down on the bonnet of the car he was resting against. He looks into Dustin’s hopeful brown eyes and pats him on the shoulder before making his way over to the row of mirrors where she is impatiently waiting for him. 

“Oh and buddy, they want you do to a roll over today, is that OK with you?” Dustin calls over, eyes distracted by a passing female extra. 

Mark does not respond and watches in the mirror as a bland mask is placed over his face, his own sharp features replaced with the white plastic of this new one.

He makes his way over to the stunt cop car, a car which he has multiple issues with, and hops in the driver’s seat. He unwillingly allows the group of workers on set to strap him in and check that everything is OK. 

He manoeuvres the car over to the starting position and awaits the signal. He hears a loud horn go off and another stunt car zooms past him, Mark pulls off after it and aims the left front tire for a small ramp in the road. He launches the car up it, turning the wheel sharply and slamming down on the breaks, causing the whole car to vault off the ramp in a complete 180 turn and land on its roof. 

A bunch of men run over with fire extinguishers just to be safe and Dustin hobbles over and sticks his head in the window. His wide grin takes over his whole face when Mark gives him the thumbs up. 

“That was great, absolutely great!” he keeps repeating as he helps Mark out of the car. 

~~

That evening Mark is in the elevator when he is joined by the man from yesterday. He smiles at Mark as soon as he steps in and Mark asks him which floor.

“Fourth”

Mark almost jumps at the soft voice that escaped this man’s lips. For some reason he had been expecting a more rough tone to suit the height but instead it was almost like honey dripping out of his mouth. 

Mark presses the button and turns to look at his neighbour. He knew he recognised him the other night. He lives two doors down from Mark, has a daughter, or what Mark guessed was his daughter. They never spoke to him or made much noise in general. He turns to look at Mark just then and Mark looks away, embarrassed.

The lift lands on the fourth floor and Mark lets his neighbour out first. He smiles warmly at Mark with gratitude and strolls to his door. They both open their door at the same time and Mark closes his door, leaning against it and letting out a shaky breath. 

~~

Mark is hungry and working on a stupid programme on his stupid laptop and he grumbles in frustration when he opens his fridge and finds a single can of red bull. He grabs his keys off his bedside locker and makes his way down to his car.

In the grocery store Mark rounds the canned food aisle when he stops short. His neighbour is pushing a heavily loaded trolley, the little girl Mark assumed was his daughter standing on the trolley between his two arms. Mark hastily retreats into the aisle beside them and can’t help but stop and listen when they are parallel to each other. 

“You’re a monkey” he hears his neighbour’s soft voice travel through the shelves.

“No you’re a monkey” the little girl giggles and Mark smiles to himself when he hears them exchange quick but pleasant “I love yous”. He carries his small bag of groceries up to the counter to pay for them, slipping in a bag of red vines at the last minute.

Outside in the parking lot he stops before he opens his car when he spots a cloud of smoke in the corner of his eye. Putting his brown bag on the roof of his car, Mark swivels around and spots his neighbour and the little girl standing at the hood of their car. The engine is smoking and they looked extremely confused as to how to fix it.

“Need a ride home?” Mark offers, surprising even himself with his sudden generosity. 

His neighbour whips around and smiles largely, his Adams apple bobbing up and down. 

“If you don’t mind” he says shyly, glancing at the little girl who is eyeing Mark suspiciously. 

Mark opens the back door to his car and nods towards it invitingly. The little girl hops in the back and his neighbour in the front. They drive in silence but Mark, who usually feels awkward in other people’s company, feels strangely at ease, smiling when the girl squeals whenever he drives over a bump. He can feel his neighbour’s eyes and smile on him but Mark keeps his eyes firmly on the road. 

“I’m Eduardo” his neighbour announces as they pull into the apartment block. 

“And I’m Bethany, I hate it so call me Beth or something” the little girl pipes up from the back, taking her seatbelt off. 

Eduardo snorts and gets out of the car. Mark grabs his groceries before he has the chance and Eduardo grins at him in thanks. 

Eduardo has to fiddle with his lock before the door to his apartment finally opens and Mark looks around the room as soon as he walks in. It was way more homely than his own. A dining table in the centre of the room, toys and clothes scattered all around it. The kitchen was a medley of oranges and exuded warmth. Unlike Mark’s grey walls and even greyer counter top. 

“Sorry the place is a mess” Eduardo huffs trying to pick up as much clothes off the chairs as he can. Mark shakes his head and places the groceries down onto the kitchen worktops. 

“Just a sec” Eduardo calls as he dashes inside what was the equivalent of Mark’s bedroom. Beth rounds the corner and Mark nearly laughs when he spots the scary Halloween mask she had donned. 

“Scary” Mark murmurs and Beth lifts the mask to laugh. Her brown eyes bore into his and he realises he has met his match in staring competitions. 

“Want a toothpick?” Mark asks, reaching inside his jacket for his pack. She nods her head eagerly and he hands her one which she places in her mouth right away. 

Eduardo re-emerges and offers Mark a glass of water. He watches Eduardo in the kitchen mirror and notices a small picture stuck to the glass. Eduardo is in it, standing beside another man similar to Eduardo and Beth is in his arms. He catches Mark staring at it.

“That’s my cousin and Beth’s father” he says softly, looking at Mark.

“Where is he?” Mark asks trying to hide his surprise that Beth was in fact Eduardo’s niece and not his daughter. 

“Prison” Eduardo says the soft tone still there but there was a sudden hardness in his eyes. 

Mark’s stomach turns and he just nods his head in understanding. They stand like that in the kitchen for some time, looking at each other, neither unnerved, just fascinated.  
“So, have you been here long?” Eduardo asks, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah I’ve worked here for a while” Mark answers, not sure whether he should divulge any personal information with a man he just met.

“What do you do?” 

“I drive”

“Like a limo driver kinda thing?” Eduardo asks with a sudden amused expression on his face. 

“No. For the movies” Mark shrugs. No big deal. 

“Car chases and stuff?” Eduardo’s brow furrowed slightly as if he is suddenly concerned for Mark’s safety. Mark just smiles and drinks the rest of his water. 

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Eduardo prods him with his toe making Mark jump. 

“It is only part-time; I work at a garage most of the time”

Eduardo looks wistful, as if what Mark just told him was something amazing.

“I better get going” he says and starts towards the door. He waves goodbye to Beth who was engrossed in the television but she waves back and thanks him for the ride home.

“See you?” Eduardo’s voice lifts at the end, as if he were asking Mark for permission.

“See you” Mark nods his head and for some reason went to work that night smiling.

~~

Dustin looks up at Tyler’s pizzeria with a sudden weight in his stomach, his hip twinging with pain. He sighs before making his way in the door where he was met with his old time friend Divya. 

Divya is ordering some boy called Billy around, yelling at him to get him a Chinese. Dustin fights the urge to point out that they are in a pizzeria but bites his lip and sits across from Divya who has yet to acknowledge Dustin’s presence. 

When he finally stops shouting at Billy, Divya faces him with a put-on smile on his face. 

“Dustin! How are you?” he asks and scans Dustin’s face in the way he always did that made Dustin feel nervous. 

“I’m good” he replies shortly, fishing out his cigarettes and putting one in his mouth. 

Billy comes bursting in with a box of noodles and a bottle of Coke and places them in front of Divya. 

“Where the fuck are the chopsticks? And my fortune cookie? Why the fuck do you even work for me? Hurry up” he snaps at Billy who goes running out the door again. 

Dustin lights his cigarette only to be roared at by Divya to put it out. He is waving the smoke away from his noodles eyeing Dustin dangerously. Dustin looks around for an ashtray and can’t find one so puts it out on a napkin.

“What happened to all the ashtrays in this town?” he jokes but Divya does not laugh. 

“What do you want Dustin?” Divya asks in a bored voice.

“Do you know what my business made last year?” Dustin starts, trying to sound as confident as he must not look. “Three hundred thousand. I spend shit loads of money fixing these cars up only to have them cast off to half a dozen drivers in some crap movie!”

Divya shrugs and grabs the chopsticks Billy hands him. “So what do you want me to do?”

“I need money to get a proper stunt car”

Divya waits, chewing his noodles loudly. 

“Four hundred thousand”

Divya lets out a low whistle.

“And what have you got that other professional race teams don’t?” Divya sucks some grease off his thumb, clearly uninterested in what Dustin has to say. 

“I got the driver” 

“You just told me they had half a dozen drivers”

“Not like this one. This kid is special, if I had the money I would back him myself.”

“But you don’t have the money, do you?”

Dustin clenches his fist under the table.

“Mr Narendra, put this kid behind a wheel and there is nothing he can’t do”

At that point the door flies open and Dustin’s heart sinks when he spots Tyler Winklevoss strolling in the door with a henchman by his side. 

“What you eating chink food for in my pizzeria?” he snaps at Divya.

“What’s a Jew doing running a pizzeria?” Divya retorts and Tyler snorts before pulling a chair up to the table. He glances at Dustin who smiles nervously at him. 

“Take a hike, I want to talk to my partner” Tyler barks at Dustin who shrinks into the chair.

“I’m only messing with you! How are you Dustin? How’s the leg?” He nudges Dustin in the shoulder and Dustin bites down on his lip which is now bright red from the pressure it has been under this whole time. 

“I payed my debt” he mutters and wants nothing more than to leave in that moment. 

“Listen, get the driver and I’ll meet you guys tomorrow, see what you’ve got” Divya decides, scraping the bottom of the box for more noodles.

Dustin nods and walks out the door, letting out a long sigh of relief and rubbing his hip absentmindedly. 

~~

Mark never seeks to impress, but he drives this car like his life depends on it. The only thing driving him is the need to help Dustin in any way he can.

He takes the corners that normal drivers would normally slow down for at a quick pace, the tires barely making a sound as he brakes softly. He feels the adrenaline coursing through his veins and he tries to make it pour out of his fingertips and onto the steering wheel. 

He crosses the finish line and bites down on his toothpick before he lets out a shocking whoop of laughter. His toothpick snaps and he discards it before replacing it, jumping out of the car and meeting Dustin’s wide smile.

“That was great” he is beside himself and leads him over to the man he was trying to impress who is waiting in the bleachers.

“Impressive” he smiles, holding his hand out for Mark to shake. 

“This is Divya Narendra” Dustin says, standing in between the two awkwardly.

Mark hesitates, never one for formal introductions let alone touching and chews thoughtfully on the small bit of wood poking between his teeth.

“My hands are a little dirty” Mark says and Narendra smiles almost wickedly. 

“So are mine”

Mark shakes his leather glove off and unwillingly grasps the man’s hand. 

“I’ll be happy to give you the money Dustin” Divya grins, releasing Mark’s hand and smiling at him. Mark hears Dustin let out a shaky but happy breath and Mark takes his leave. 

~~

At work Mark is working hard on replacing the wheels of his car, focused solely on the car held high above him. 

He hears the tow truck pull up but does not look over; sure it is another car Dustin will fix up in no time. 

He hears a small giggle and looks up in surprise. He finds Eduardo and Beth hovering beside Dustin, their car hanging off the truck. He fights down a smile when Eduardo catches his eye, his tan skin looking positively golden in the sun. 

Mark walks up and Beth grins up at him waving hello. 

“Hey” he says to Eduardo, gripping his tool tightly in his hand, suddenly nervous. 

“Hey” Eduardo returns, his face erupting in a smile that Mark thinks is somehow reserved only for him. 

“You two know each other?” Dustin asks with a wicked grin. Mark blushes and murmurs “Don’t”, hoping Dustin will know to keep his mouth shut. Dustin laughs and winks at Mark.  
“We’re neighbours” Eduardo tells him, gripping Beth’s arm protectively when she tries to run into the garage. 

“Neighbours eh? Well that’s just great! We’ll be neighbourly as we can. Why don’t we get this fixed up for ya” Dustin says, his voice raising an octave and his grin splitting his face.

“Ok” Eduardo laughs and Dustin informs him that it may have to be kept in overnight. 

“But you can give them a ride home, right?” Dustin grins at Mark who flashes his eyes at him dangerously. 

“Right. But I’ve got no wheels on my car, that’s something you should know about me” Mark nearly dies inside at his awful attempt at humour but grins when Eduardo lets out an appreciative laugh. “Can you wait ten minutes?” Mark asks, turning to his car which is missing two wheels. 

“Sure” Eduardo nods, still smiling at Mark as if he is telling the funniest of jokes. Beth trots after Mark to watch him work. 

He is placing a tire on but looking at her, she is trying her best not to blink and her eyes are tearing up. He smiles widely when she blinks. 

“What?” she asks, pouting slightly. 

“You blinked” he murmurs with a playful tone and she pouts again but smiles eventually, seemingly interested in Mark and his work.

After nine minutes, not ten, Mark is done and Eduardo is sitting beside him in the car and Beth is in the back. 

“I’m sorry if I put you on the spot or anything” Eduardo says, looking out the window with his eyes scrunched closed against the sun.

Mark shakes his head and eases the car out of the garage. His skin prickles when he feels Eduardo’s gaze on him. 

“Hey, you wanna see something?” he asks when they are stopped at some traffic lights. Eduardo beams and turns around to Beth who nods her head exaggeratedly. 

“Sure”

Mark’s stomach suddenly erupts with nerves but he drives to his intended destination anyway. An abandoned highway where the sun is causing beams of different colours to reflect off the odd patches of water on the ground. He drives fast and comically, steering erratically to make Eduardo giggle and Beth squeal. He finds that he is laughing himself, a foreign sound and a foreign feeling. He feels good. Really good.

He stops at the end of the road and gets out of the car. Eduardo frowns, looking at the trees they have stopped in front of curiously but joins him outside. He opens the back door and Beth jumps out giddily. 

Eduardo looks at Mark expectantly and Mark snaps out of his staring and leads them through the trees and down a small hill. He does not turn around to check if they are following, the sounds of leaves crunching beneath their feet is enough confirmation. 

He stops at the small river, the golden rays of the sun being split like a kaleidoscope in the leaves of the low hanging trees. He turns to Eduardo whose smile is almost brighter than the sun and Mark returns it, picking up a skinny stone and throws it into the water. There is a loud plonk as his stone joins the others in the river bed and Eduardo’s eyebrow lifts, his smile unfaltering. 

He picks up a stone and sharply flicks his wrist, the stone skipping all the way to the other side of the bank. Mark stares after it in disbelief and tries to imitate the movement, only to have his stone plonk miserably into the water.

“Here” Eduardo says, his hand touching Mark’s gently. Mark’s whole arm erupts in goose bumps and even in the heat of the sun he feels cold. Eduardo flicks Mark’s wrist for him and the stone skips twice before sinking down. Mark beams proudly and turns to smile at Eduardo. Forgetting how close they were, their lips almost brush and Mark jumps forward and nearly lands in the water.

Beth lets out a giggle from her position on a log where she is ducking her arm into the water, seeking out colourful stones to pocket.

“Be careful” Eduardo warns but his voice is warm with humour and Mark can’t help but smile playfully and splash Eduardo with a handful of water.

They stay like that until the sun starts to set, smiling and laughing, hardly ever speaking but not feeling the need to. 

Mark spots Beth stifling a yawn and he motions for them to return home, willingly carrying her inside. He feels Eduardo’s eyes on the back of his head and he can’t help but revel in the warmth of her arms around his neck and Eduardo’s eyes on his scalp. 

He sits on Eduardo’s windowsill, peering out into the city where he has a job waiting for him. When Eduardo finally puts Beth to bed, he comes out and leans against the wall beside Mark, his scorpion jacket folded across his arms. 

“We had a good day” Eduardo breaks their comfortable silence. 

“So did I” Mark admits, his blue eyes meeting Eduardo’s brown ones. 

They stay like that, smiling at each other, Mark should feel awkward, should break away but he somehow feels safe. He feels at home under Eduardo’s strange gaze. 

“Goodnight” Mark says and almost reaches out to squeeze Eduardo’s hand before slinking out the door and back to his car. 

~~

Mark has a bruise on his cheekbone the following day after he slammed his breaks too hard and face-planted the steering wheel. He tries to alleviate it with an ice pack but it is still purple and raw when he hears the familiar knock on his door.

He opens it and walks down to Eduardo’s apartment where the door is open for him. He walks in and Beth stares at him in shock, touching her own cheek in paranoia. 

“What happened?” Eduardo gasps, stepping out from the kitchenette with his eyebrows and mouth turned downward. 

“Steering wheel” Mark shrugs and holds in a breath when Eduardo’s feather light fingers brush the bruise carefully. 

“Beth get me that cream from the bathroom please” he says, his eyes not leaving Mark’s face. 

Beth rushes to the bathroom and thrusts a large tub into Eduardo’s hand. She casts one more concerned look Mark’s way before returning to the television.

Mark hisses when Eduardo rubs the cream on his cheek. He is not sure if it because it was cold or because the way Eduardo’s fingers are so gentle and nimble. 

“You need to be more careful” Eduardo mutters and his concerned eyes flicker up to meet Mark’s. Mark smiles sheepishly and Eduardo can’t help but grin. They are inches away from each other, Eduardo’s hand now cupping Mark’s jaw. Mark feels himself licking his lips and hears his own heart stutter. He hates his brain for screaming at him about how beautiful Eduardo’s face is, especially up this close.

“You still have not told me your name” Eduardo says suddenly, hand dropping from Mark’s jaw to put the lid back on the tub. 

Mark panics slightly. Not even Dustin knows his name. He is just kid or buddy…even The Driver. Just, not Mark. He is only Mark to himself, no one else. 

But Eduardo is looking at him, it’s like he is seeing him. The real Mark. Not The Driver. 

“It’s Mark” Mark says in a hushed tone, as if it is a huge secret. The name leaving his lips like a conspiracy. 

Eduardo nods and repeats the name quietly like he is trying to save it to memory. 

They find themselves staring again and they both jump when the phone rings. Eduardo leaps up to answer it and Mark watches as his shoulders start to slump more and more as the voice on the other side speaks. 

He hangs up and visibly takes in a deep breath. 

“Beth”

Beth ignores him and laughs at something that happens on the screen. 

“Beth that was your Dad’s lawyer”

She snaps into focus, switching the TV off, her focus now entirely on Eduardo. 

“He is coming home in a few days”

Beth’s face lights up but Eduardo’s remains dark, causing Mark’s stomach to twist with a bout of nerves. 

//


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, as close to the film as possible but with new shite in there too. Also, I had to keep Standard in because what an epic name....

Mark is working hard on an engine part for a car Dustin’s garage had taken in. The paper thin walls of his apartment are trembling from the music blaring from Eduardo’s apartment. He tries to ignore the laughter, the voices of glee transferring from their joyful home to his. 

He finally has enough and throws the engine part away from him, picking up his car keys, suddenly itching to be behind the wheel. He walks out of his apartment and sees a familiar pair of gangly legs sprawled across the hallway. 

“Hey” he says, causing Eduardo’s head to snap up.

“Hey, I hope the music is not too loud” Eduardo says, looking genuinely worried. 

“I was about to call the cops” Mark grins, unable to help the smile that always spreads across his face in Eduardo’s presence. 

“I wish you would” Eduardo mutters. He is cryptic, Mark hates cryptic. He struggles to find something to say when the door beside Eduardo opens and a short tanned man walks out, followed by Beth.

“Hey, who is this?” the man says to Eduardo, looking at Mark with a large bag of garbage in his hands.

“This is…. my neighbour” Eduardo does not reveal Mark’s name and Mark thanks him silently with his eyes.

“Ah, you’re the one my daughter has been telling me about?” the man smiles at Mark but his smile is false, his eyes are scanning Mark’s face, sizing him up. Beth pokes her head around him and grins at Mark, he notices one of her front teeth is missing and he can’t help but return her easy smile. 

“I hear you’ve been helping them out?” 

Mark does not speak, feeling his usual guard build up and capture his voice. 

“Here, I’ll take that” Eduardo stands up to take the garbage off him but the man shakes his head and grins once more at Mark before making his way over to the garbage chute.   
Mark and Eduardo look at each other, Eduardo’s eyes flashing with a variety of emotions and Mark’s hands twitching at his sides in his sudden need to reach out and touch him. He wants the only colour in Eduardo’s eyes to be bright brown, the smile reaching his irises to form the golden colour Mark is so used to. He can’t stand the new shade of grey in place, changing everything about Eduardo’s natural glow. 

Mark makes his way over to the elevator when the man starts to come back and he feels a hand on his shoulder. His jaw clenches in a sudden fit of anger.  
“Thanks for everything man”

Mark turns his head and nods in acceptance. 

“I’m Standard, but I’m sure you already knew that” he says, laughing arrogantly and Mark hurries into the yellow compartment as soon as the door opens. “Hey why don’t you join us for dinner tomorrow?” Mark nods sharply to shut him up, immediately regretting his decision. 

Standard waves at him before the doors close and Mark punches the button for the ground floor harder than necessary. 

~~

He is working furiously on a car when Divya and another man walk in. The other man is much than Divya in both height and arrogance. The stunt car is held high in the garage, Dustin’s pride and joy. 

“Looks good Moskovitz” Divya says, looking up at the car which he paid for. The other man is standing beside him, looking less than impressed. 

“You paid four hundred fucking grand for this piece of shit?” he snorts, looking at Divya in disbelief. 

“I paid for it - out of my own pocket. This is just the shell; it's the inside that counts, not the outside, right Dustin?” Divya sings, clearly trying to impress his partner.

“You would be correct” Dustin grins, throwing a dirty cloth over his shoulder. 

“Fuck that shit; I pay four hundred for something, I want everybody to fucking see it!” the man booms, throwing his arms out dramatically and Mark starts to hate him. 

“Of course you do Tyler”

Tyler walks around the garage and spots a shiny sports car that Dustin is working on.

“Now this... that is one motherfucking, fine-ass, pussy-mobile, mothafucker'! Damn!”

Mark officially hates him. Divya turns to Dustin with a grimace.

“Dustin, sell him the car”

“He wouldn't be able to find pussy in a whore house” Dustin says in a joking term but Mark hears the seriousness in his tone. He hobbles over to Tyler and plasters his usual grin on his pale face.

“You know what? This car will even make you good-looking”

“I'm already good-looking, pal” Tyler replies, glaring at Dustin who shuffles uncomfortably as he opens the door for Tyler to look inside. 

As they potter around the sports car, Divya turns to Mark who is now unashamedly watching everything. Divya observes him and Mark realises he has another worthy opponent in staring competitions. 

“Did Dustin ever tell you how we met?” he asks Mark, reaching inside Mark’s jacket pocket to pull out a toothpick. Mark’s fingers clench and he seethes when Divya places a toothpick in his mouth. 

“I used to produce movies. In Harvard, yeah I went to Harvard, are you surprised? Most people are. Kind of like action films. Sexy stuff. One critic, Chris his name was, in the Crimson called them European. I thought they were shit. Anyway, Dustin, he arranged all the cars for me. Yeah Dustin went to Harvard too, but I’m sure you already knew that. He did all the stunts. I liked him. I liked having him around. Even though he overcharged the shit out of me. His next business venture, he got involved with some of Tyler's friends. Ty’s brother Cameron was the main guy he worked for. They didn't like the overcharging bit. They broke his pelvis. The two of them, snapped him like a twig. He's never had a lot of luck”

Mark’s toothpick breaks and he spits it out on to the cold hard concrete under their feet.

“The reason I'm telling you this is that he has a lot invested in you. As do I. So anything you need, you call me. We're a team now, you understand that? I’m excited”  
He lets out a laugh that sends shivers down Mark’s spine and he wants nothing more than to throw Dustin in the trunk of his car and drive off. 

“Oi! Tyler, lets blow this joint” He calls over to Tyler who pats Dustin on the shoulder. Dustin being so slight, he falls forward a few steps from the sheer power of Tyler’s muscles.   
He joins Divya and they both walk outside, leaving Mark and Dustin in a heavy silence.

~~

The following day Mark looks inside his wardrobe. A denim shirt, a denim jacket, his scorpion jacket and a white shirt hang dismally from the rail. He sighs and throws on the white shirt having noticed a stain in the sleeve on his favoured denim one. 

He glances in the mirror and tries to pat down his curls but gives up when his finger gets caught in a stubbornly springy one. 

“Fuck” he snaps, releasing his stress before throwing open his door and knocking twice on Eduardo’s one. 

Eduardo opens his door with a beam but Mark sees the white knuckles that hold the door open.

“I thought maybe you wouldn’t come” Eduardo admits in his gentle tone, making Mark’s stomach pinch. He simply lets out a huff of a laugh in return and waits for Eduardo to gesture for him to walk in.

“Ah! Just on time” Standard calls from the kitchen where Beth is sitting on the counter stirring the pot resting on the oven.

Mark waves at them and takes a seat at the dining table which has been set. Eduardo’s touch. The cutlery is gleaming and the napkins folded just right. Mark smiles to himself when he strokes his glass, the one he always used as he babysat Beth when Eduardo was at the diner. He feels eyes on him and looks up to see Eduardo looking at his hand on the glass, eyes wide and lips dry.

Mark lets go of the glass and his eyes meet Eduardo’s who blushes suddenly before ducking into the kitchen to help Standard. Mark’s heart is fluttering but he ignores it and focuses on the quiet conversation in the kitchen.

“Fuck sake Ed, give me that fork” 

Mark grimaces at the nickname Ed and watches Eduardo do the same. 

“Dad, mind your language” Beth scolds and Standard bursts out laughing. 

“You like broccoli?” Standard asks Mark who nods once, not really caring about broccoli but wanting to avoid the usual “well what vegetables do you like?” bullshit he puts up with.   
They finally settle down at the table and Mark keeps his eyes on his lap when Standard says grace in what Mark assumes is Portuguese. 

“Do you wanna hear how me and your mother met?” Standard suddenly asks Beth and Mark notices Eduardo’s hands grasp his knife tightly. 

Beth nods her head, eyes shining bright, reminding Mark of Eduardo.

“We met at a party, she was nineteen”

“She was seventeen” Eduardo pipes up, eyes downcast and hands still gripping his cutlery. 

“Illegal then? Huh. So I illegally walked over to a seventeen year old girl. And I walk up and I say, "Hello, Miss. What is your name?" And she didn't say anything. And then I said, "Well my name is Standard Gabriel." Then you wanna know what she said?”

Eduardo looks out the window and Beth nods her head again. 

“Where’s the deluxe version?” Standard says and lets out a long laugh, ignoring the look on Eduardo’s face and grins at Beth’s laughter, even if she has no idea why that is so funny.

Mark is curious as to her whereabouts or what happened to her but remains silent. Standard picks up his glass and is suddenly solemn.

“A toast”

They pick up their glasses and Mark and Eduardo look at each other.

“To my family” Standard nods toward Eduardo and Beth “And my new friend” and again at Mark.

The four of them lift their glasses and share a quiet smile, eating their dinner in a peaceful silence. 

~~

Ready to fall asleep Mark hears a strangled sob outside his door. Not wanting to intrude he patters over to the door and rises on his tip toes to peer out the peephole. 

His throat catches when he spots Eduardo outside the elevator, punching the button furiously. Before he can think about it, Mark pulls a t-shirt over his head and opens his door. Eduardo jumps in fright and relaxes slightly when he realises it is Mark. He wipes his eyes quickly, hoping Mark will not notice the wetness underneath them.

The elevator bings and the doors open. Mark walks in and Eduardo follows him. The elevator starts to move but on impulse Mark hits the emergency stop button. Eduardo frowns and watches as Mark slides down onto the floor, crossing his legs at his ankles. He slowly joins him and sits opposite Mark, mirroring his position. 

“I’m OK” Eduardo finally says.

Mark does not believe it and reaches out to brush a tear that Eduardo failed to remove from his cheek. Eduardo flinches but his cheeks turn pink under Mark’s touch. 

“Your hands are tough” he observes and Mark rubs at his calloused hands. 

“Tell me” Mark says gently, wanting to break his gaze with Eduardo but finding it impossible. 

Eduardo sighs and raises his eyes to the ceiling where the dull yellow bulb casts a haunting colour on to his face. 

“Standard is not my cousin”

Mark feigns his surprise and remains silent.

“He was my sister’s husband.”

“Was?” Mark asks; taking note of Eduardo’s chest which has started moving heavily as his breaths shorten. 

“Years ago, just after Beth was born, Maria, my sister, fell ill. She thought she was going to die so she begged me to always be there for Beth which I promised I would be. She got through it though, she was OK. Standard had obviously thought she was going to die so went off with other women. Maria found out and well, they went through a few weeks of hell. Beth stayed with me for a while, I didn’t want her around their bullshit”

Eduardo takes in a deep breath and his expression grows darker, his words short. 

“He got too drunk one night, went too far and beat her up. He beat her up so badly Mark. I wanted to kill him; I still want to kill him sometimes. She didn’t survive. He killed her. He killed my sister”

He stops speaking and the tears flow, dripping from his nose onto his hands which are fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt. Mark freezes, feeling both anger towards Standard and pity for Eduardo. He feels stupid, sitting there looking at him crying, not knowing what the fuck to do or what the fuck to say. 

“And yet here I am, living with the scumbag! I promised to look after Beth, that’s the only reason I am here and why Standard has not been killed. For Beth” Eduardo says weakly, balling his hands into furious fists and finally looks up at Mark.

Mark’s heart almost cracks at the sight of his eyes. His golden orbs are clouded with tears, the colour fading into nothing.

He reaches out and touches his face.

“It will be OK Wardo, I’ll help you get away, I promise” he whispers and his lips are dangerously close to Eduardo’s. He feels Eduardo’s broke sigh on his lips and his heart stops.  
“You called me Wardo” Eduardo smiles a watery smile, clearly unaffected by their sudden closeness.

“It’s better than Ed”

Eduardo lets out a bark of laughter and rests his forehead against Mark’s, eyes fluttering shut as Mark slowly strokes his skin.

~~

Driving to a diner the following day, Mark spots two men walking into the parking lot. He decides he does not like the look of them. They are dressed like white men who think they are black, one is hiding something behind his back and both are staring at Mark like he is a piece of shit. 

He does not avert his gaze though, only stares back with the same level of hate he is being levelled with and slowly drives his car out of the parking lot.

In the diner Mark is actually enjoying his pavlova, oblivious to his surroundings until he feels eyes on him. It’s not like when he can feel Eduardo’s eyes on him; this attention is unwanted and unfeeling. 

“Hey, you’re Dustin’s buddy right?”

Mark ignores the bearded man who suddenly appeared at his side and focuses on the fruit dangling from his fork. 

“We met last year. You drove me and my brother back from Palm Springs. We hired another wheelman. I spent six months in jail. My brother, he got himself killed.”

Mark wonders why this man is still talking to him, his beard an annoying image in his peripheral vision. 

“I got a sweet job coming up”

Mark can’t take it anymore, he is finished his pavlova and he can smell the vodka off this man’s breath. He doesn’t want to hear his redneck voice or feel his disgusting spit land on his face. He doesn’t want another job. 

“How about this? You shut your mouth. Or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and I'll shut it for you” Mark says calmly, his eyes unblinking, his mouth unmoving. 

The redneck stares at him, cowers back in shock and avoids Mark’s stare. 

“Nice seeing you again” he stutters and makes his way out of the café. 

Mark picks up his cup of coffee, staring at the retreating figure of the man and takes a long gulp.

~~

He returns to the apartment block and the two men from earlier are nowhere to be seen. When he gets out of the car he hears a strange noise coming from the corner. Almost like a cat. Mark hates cats.

“Hey, hey its ok baby, it’s ok” he hears Standard and he stops dead in his tracks. He must be talking to Beth so Mark strolls over and sees a trail of blood leading from the edge of the wall into the corner itself. 

Beth is cowering in the corner and Mark panics, thinking she is hurt. Instead he looks down and Standard is slumped on the ground against the wall, blood dripping from a large gash on his forehead. 

Mark lets out a hiss of breath and walks over to Beth, standing in front of her, lowering down onto his hunkers. 

“You ok?” he asks her gently, her eyes trained on her father, gulping past vomit resting in her oesophagus. She nods her head briskly and Mark focuses on Standard now. He picks him up and helps him into the elevator, making sure Beth is close at his heels. 

He carries Standard into the apartment and into his bathroom where he slams the door on Mark. The tap turns on and a loud groan emits from the room. Mark fumes at the door but turns to face Beth who is shaking on the sofa. Her hands are gripping something and Mark walks over to her.

“What is that?”

“The men gave it to me” she mutters, fingers shaking when Mark’s prises them apart. 

In her hand is a golden bullet, long and menacing. 

“They told me not to lose it” she says, eyes glistening with terrified tears.

“You want me to keep that for you?” he asks and she willingly hands it over, Mark pockets it, feeling its weight against his chest. He turns back to the bathroom and opens the door against Standard’s protests.

“Tell me what happened” Mark orders, folding his arms across his chest, keeping his eye on Beth who is staring at the blank television screen. 

“What you gonna do? Kick their ass for me?” Standard snorts, cleaning blood from his eyebrows in the dirty mirror above the sink. 

Mark remains silent and looks at Standard in the reflection of the mirror.

“I owe some guys money for being in prison. Safety money. Originally it was a thousand bucks. Now that I am out, they want 5 thousand. Next week, it might be twenty. Who knows what it will be in a few months”

He seems to be worried, hands shaking as he cleans his own wounds. He turns to face Mark, the blood stain on his white tank top capturing Mark’s attention. Blood makes shapes that Mark likes to decipher. He thinks this stain is shaped like an axe.

“They want me to do a job for them. I don’t wanna do it”

“That would be?” Mark asks.

“They want me to rob a pawn shop in the valley. If I don’t, they’ll come after Eduardo and Beth”

~~

“If I drive for you, you get your money. You tell me where we start, where we're going, where we're going afterwards. I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything a minute on either side of that and you're on your own. I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive.”

The man, called Cook, listening to Mark looks absolutely bored, Standard is at Mark’s side, glancing around nervously, his bruise a lovely shade of purple on his dark skin. 

“You look like you’re hard to work with” Cook sneers and laughs at his own joke and his female accomplice rolls her eyes at him. 

“What the fuck are you rolling your eyes at? Bring Christy Lee for a Coke will ya? Get her out of my face” He snaps at Standard and the woman storms off, Standard following after her hurriedly. 

Cook fishes inside his jacket and takes out a pen. 

“This is how much you get” he writes on his own hand, “Standard” he keeps writing “And Christy Lee” he finishes with a flourish and holds out his hand. A thick FUCK YOU is drawn across the intricate wrinkles on his palm and he laughs again, coughing towards the end. Mark wants nothing more for him than to cough himself to death. 

“When this is done, Standard is out of the game. You don’t come after his family, you understand?”

Mark’s face is impassive, his icy blue eyes working for him in this moment. Cook laughs again and shrugs.

“Whatever you say big man, whatever you say”

~~

Mark walks into the diner and Eduardo is serving a family, looking small in his hideous red uniform. Mark’s eyes shoot down and he gulps when he sees how well fitted the trousers in this place are.

“Hey” Eduardo waves over at him, eyes dancing brightly, completely ignoring the orders the family are giving him.

Mark waves and plays with the zip on his jacket and awkwardly sits down in the nearest booth. Eduardo joins him shortly and they sit in silence for a while.

“How is Beth?”

Eduardo nods his head and gulps.

“You sure?”

“Why?” Eduardo challenges him.

“I saw Standard’s face”

Eduardo looks out the window as a large van pulls into the parking lot.

“He was mugged. She is OK and so is he”

“And you?” 

Eduardo fidgets with the salt shaker.

“I’m-“

“SAVERIN, ON YOUR FEET I DON’T PAY YOU 8 BUCKS AN HOUR TO SIT AROUND” a voice booms from the kitchen and Eduardo springs up, glancing at Mark apologetically.

Mark waves him off and leaves again, looking back at Eduardo who is at ease handing plates of food to his customers. He walks outside and rests his head against the roof of his car before opening it, sitting in the driver’s seat, watching Eduardo in the large windows of the diner before driving off.

//


	3. Chapter 3

For some reason, Mark feels a heavy weight of guilt in his stomach keeping all of this from Eduardo. He invites Mark over every night for dinner, Mark goes most nights but resists on the others. He can’t stand being close to Eduardo when this is on his conscience. 

Usually helping people like Standard was breezy for Mark, it earned him most of his income, but this was different. Eduardo was in the picture now. And Beth. Mark didn’t want it but they were in his head, his heart, and his whole life now. 

A day before the job, Mark waits outside the diner for Eduardo to finish his shift.

“Oh! Mark, hey!” Eduardo looks delighted to see Mark leaning against his car on the pathway. Mark has never had anyone greet him as warmly as Eduardo does. Apart from maybe Dustin after one too many. 

“What are you doing here?” Eduardo cocks his head, the smile refusing to leave his face. 

“Wanna go on a drive?” Mark asks, suddenly nervous at the possibility of rejection. 

Eduardo nods his head so violently that Mark is reminded of a bobble-head figurine. He lets himself laugh and places his hand on Eduardo’s head to stop him nodding.

“Get in the car” Mark laughs when Eduardo’s grin becomes unbearable to look at. Eduardo gladly jumps in and throws his name-tag onto the dashboard.

Mark starts the car, the rumble of the engine a loud noise in their silence.

“Where are we going?” Eduardo asks but Mark does not reply. He is not sure himself. He just wants to drive Eduardo around. Driving and Eduardo is Mark’s perfect combination. He grips the steering wheel when he feels a sudden surge of happiness attack him. He is not used to this feeling, he nearly steps on the brakes to jump out into the traffic.

“You ok?” Eduardo is concerned when the car jolts and Mark curses under his breath. Mark stares at the red light on the traffic lights, letting it sear into his brain so that when he blinks, it is engrained into his eyelids.

He drives into the valley, the hills a glorious colour in the California sun. The windows are down and Eduardo has his hand out in the air, moving his fingers in a wave motion, looking like a child on Christmas. Mark snorts at his immaturity but saves Eduardo’s gleeful face to his memory. 

He stops at a lookout, the city skyline a stark shadow in the setting sun. 

“This is lovely” Eduardo coos as they sit on the bonnet of Mark’s car, ankles touching. Mark glances at Eduardo. His face is turned towards the sun, the orange reflecting on his closed eyes causing an almost angelic glow to emit from him. Mark wants to reach out and trace the shadows the clouds cast on Eduardo’s face. He wants to touch his lips, rub his finger across them until they are dry. And then he wants to kiss him, until his lips are crimson red and his eyes large and black. 

“Mark, can I ask you something?” Eduardo’s voice snaps Mark out of his albeit creepy staring. 

“Sure”

“I want to know more about you”

Mark gulps, uneasy in these situations. He hates talking about himself. 

“I mean you are a massive part of my life now and yet I hardly know anything about you”

“I am? A massive part of your life I mean?”

Eduardo smiles fondly at him and knocks his knee against Mark’s.

“Of course you are” he hums.

“Well um, there is nothing really to tell.”

“Oh come on, I am sure there is” Eduardo sits up now, legs crossing in the lotus position and turn to face Mark with interest. 

Mark fidgets with the collar of his shirt. 

“Well, what do you wanna know?!”

“Everything!” Eduardo throws his arms out and laughs at Mark’s annoyed frown. 

“I was born in New York. I went to a stupid high school, a stupid college for a year where a girl broke my heart. I then thought it would beneficial to move onto men and have yet to have my heart broken my one of them but there is always time. I learned how to drive when I was 15. I realised I was pretty good. So I got a job in a shitty movie when I left college and moved here”

Mark meets Eduardo’s gaze again and he looks happy. For some reason.

“Why do you chew on a toothpick all the time?”

“I don’t know. I am pretty restless so it calms me down”

“The scorpion jacket?”

“I got in for my 21st birthday from my Grandma, she died last year”

“Dustin?”

“I met him when I moved here, he was my trainer for the movie, and he gave the job in the garage”

Eduardo relaxes again and looks out at the distant road below, the cars tiny, like toy ones Mark used to play with when he was young. 

“You are still so mysterious to me” 

Mark shrugs and has a helpless look on his face. 

“I am pretty boring”

It is now Eduardo’s turn to frown. “No you are not! You’re probably the most exciting person I have ever met”

Mark blushes with the sincerity in Eduardo’s voice and eyes. 

“What is your favourite colour?”

Mark gapes at him and Eduardo bursts out laughing, his laugh infectious and the two of them roll around the bonnet of the car, laughing uncontrollably.

~~

Eduardo is at work and Beth is at pre-school when Standard knocks on Mark’s door. He looks nervous and the bruise on his face has gone down, only a red blotch now. 

“You ready?” he asks Mark and Mark grabs his jacket before slinking out the door. 

It is silent in the car; uncomfortable compared to the usual silence Mark shares with Eduardo. 

“Listen, I know I have had a bad past but I care about Eduardo. I love my daughter more than anything else. I just want to get this over with so they are safe” Standard mutters, making Mark jump slightly in his seat. 

Mark looks at him and his jaw his clenched and his hands wringing in his lap. He seems genuine but Mark can’t see past what Eduardo told him, the way Eduardo’s hands turn white when Standard speaks, the tears on his face that night in the elevator. 

“When this is done, you keep out of trouble because if I see so much of a scratch on either of them, I will not only kill whoever did it, but I will kill you too” Mark says calmly, keeping his eyes on the road and feeling Standard’s shocked ones on him. 

They remain silent, tension thick in the air and they finally pull up to the pawn shop high in the valley. It is run down, an unnecessarily large parking lot beside it where a couple of cars are scattered around. The sign on the door says “open, customers welcome” and there is a dusty grandfather clock in the window. 

Christy-Lee is leaning against the wall of the shop. She looks bored out of her mind and her jaw is moving rapidly as she chews her gum. She is wearing an unflattering pair of leggings, a pink top covered with a grey jacket. Her black hair is off her face in a lazy pony-tail and hoop earrings hang from her small ears. 

Mark takes off his watch and ties it around the steering wheel.

“See you in five minutes” Mark says and Standard opens the passenger door.

“See you in four” he leans in the car to say before slamming the door after him. 

Mark watches him walk into the shop, Christy-Lee following him and he holds his breath. 

Two minutes pass and a fancy car with blacked out windows pulls into the parking lot. Mark eyes it suspiciously as it parks a few spaces away from him. His fingers clench the wheel and his stomach bubbles nervously. Nobody gets out of the car but the engine is on, Mark can tell by the soft humming and the way the bonnet shakes slightly. 

The door to the shop opens and Christy struts out, a large black bag in her hand. The click-clack of her heels on the concrete and the tick-tock of his watch is all he can hear. He opens the door and lowers the passenger seat so she can hop in the back. She leans forward so her face is almost beside Mark’s, both of them watching out for Standard. 

Standard finally emerges and looks back into the shop before making his way over to the car. Before Mark can blink, there is a loud bang in the air and Standard almost falls to his knees from the sound. A man comes running out of the shop, a large shotgun in hand and Mark gets out of the car. 

He holds onto the door as he watches two bullets enter Standard from the back, and two huge blood spots appear on the front of his t-shirt. Mark jumps back inside the car and turns the key in the ignition. Christy is screaming and Mark pulls out of the lot. The car with the blacked out windows follows him and Mark is not one bit surprised.

Mark presses down on the accelerator, a newfound urgency in his driving. The car follows him, just as fast as Mark. It is nearly on his rear when Mark makes a sharp turn around an on-coming car, causing the passer-by to honk their horn furiously. 

Christy-Lee is still screaming when the car nudges into the back of Mark’s. Mark bites down on his lip and presses his foot down harder, watching the needle on the speedometer shoot up to the highest number. In the rear-view mirror, Mark sees the car fall behind but not by much and Christy’s tear stained face. 

He makes another turn and does not have time to face the right way so he ends up nose to nose with the chasing car. He reverses as fast as he can to avoid being hit by the car and he tries to see past the black window and spot his chaser. Trying his best at the speed he is reversing, Mark curses when he hits several traffic cones but he refuses to take his foot off the pedal. 

When the car slows down slightly, Mark takes the opportunity to turn again and presses down on the accelerator and the clutch at the same time, twisting the steering wheel sharply. He speeds around another corner and the car is finally facing the right way. The pursuing car does not take the turn in time and Mark’s eyes widen when the car flips, doing an impressively scary 360 turn in the air and lands with a stomach-churning crunch on its roof.

Without slowing down, Mark speeds off, leaving the car on its roof and not giving a second thought to the inhabitants. He wants to let out a sigh of relief but his chest is still caught in the panic and adrenaline rush. This must be evident in his driving when he hears Christy begging him to please slow down.

He stops at a motel, a rundown looking piece of shit but Mark needs to stop. His blood is boiling and his pulse racing. 

“What are we doing here?” Christy asks her voice hoarse from the screaming and Mark ignores her. He knows something is up, he can’t trust her. 

He walks up the empty reception desk and reaches behind it for a key. With the bag in hand, Christy follows him to room 19. Marks leans against the sink in the bathroom and splashes his face with water.

Beth’s father is dead.

He thinks of her face when she finds out, he can’t even bring him to think of Eduardo’s reaction and he turns away from his pasty reflection to switch on the TV. Christy is perched on the bed looking terrified. 

He asks her did she know about any of this and she shakes her head, eyes wide with false innocence. 

“A former convict was shot dead today after a robbery in the valley”

Mark turns to the television and turns it up. 

“After robbing the pawn shop, the owner shot the man known as Standard Gabriel in self-defence. He says he was working alone and did not manage to take any money”

Mark hears Christy take in a sharp breath. 

He turns the television off and pinches the bridge of his nose before turning to face her. 

“I don’t know anything I swear” she whispers and cowers away from Mark on the bed. 

Mark can’t pride himself on much, but he prides himself on his ability to read people and Christy is a very bad liar. 

“Why did the news reporter say no money was taken from the owner when a million of his dollars are lying on that bed?”

Christy shrugs her eyes wider than the headlights of Mark’s car. 

“And that Standard was working alone?”

Again, Christy shrugs.

He puts on his brown leather gloves, not wanting to mar his hands. She eyes him warily from the bed. 

“I swear, I swear” she repeats, her breathing shallow.

Mark switches, his temper flares and he slaps her across the face. Hard. 

Before she can scream he presses his hand against her mouth and keeps her held against the dirty mattress. With his hand on her mouth, his other is clenched and held very close to her face and he stares down at her viciously. 

“Now, you just got a little girl's father killed. And you almost got us killed. And now you're lying to me. So how about this? From now on, every word out of your mouth is the truth. Or I'm going to hurt you” 

Her eyes are wide but Mark can tell she is willing to oblige, sure Mark is not lying. 

“Cook, he- he was trying to screw you out of the money, he was not going to give you any of it”

“And did he know about the car?”

“I don’t know anything about that, I swear”

Mark clenches his fist again but can tell she is telling the truth.

“Does Cook have a name?”

She is wriggling under his grip but he only presses her down harder, making tears leak out of her eyes. 

“Stan, I think his name is Stan”

Mark lets go of her and she sits up, wiping her cheeks and wincing in pain. 

“You’re going to bring me to him” he tells her and she nods her head. She walks into the bathroom and takes lipstick out of her bag; Mark looks at her phone lying on the bed and notices it is unlocked. He eyes her suspiciously and hears a car pull up outside his room. 

She texted somebody he realises. He turns to her, fury in his eyes but has no time to react when he spots a shadow outside the window. 

Christy is applying her make-up and her hand is shaking, she pouts at her reflection when she spots a man outside the window in the corner of her eye. She is about to scream when the bullet speeds through the glass and into the side of her head. Her skull shatters and the blood decorates the mirror in a chilling design. Mark stares at it for a split second before standing up abruptly.

He hears someone outside the front door. He quickly knocks the mattress off the bed and throws it against the door. He hears the bullet hit the mattress, thankfully stopping in the thick material, and the door fly open. Flinging himself against the wall beside the door, he sees the butt of a gun poke in the door and he grabs it, feeling a bullet pass through it, burning his fingers. He ignores the pain and continues tugging at the gun, the man holding it falls through the door and Mark pries it from his fingers. He turns on the man before he can even realise Mark has the gun and puts a bullet straight through his stomach. 

He drops the gun in disgust and walks over to the bathroom, ignoring the feeling of the man’s blood running down the side of his face. 

He hears Christy’s killer smash the rest of the glass from the window pane and make his way into the bathroom. Mark bursts in and pushes the man against the wall in the shower and grabs his gun from him. The man kicks it out of Mark’s hands and Mark has no time to think about how to kill him. He holds the man against the wall, struggling to keep him in place. He grabs out blindly and his hand lands on the broken shower curtain. It is flimsy metal, easily breakable.

He breaks off a piece of the curtain rail and jams it into the man’s throat. His eyes widen in shock and he tries to grab Mark’s throat in an effort to strangle him. Mark tugs the rail out and strikes him again, the silver metal of the rail turning totally red from the blood. Mark has no time to aim for his jugular and it takes several blows to the throat for the man to stop struggling. His eyes and mouth are left wide open and blood stained and the once white shower tiles are screaming red. 

Mark stops, leaving the pole sticking out of the man’s throat. He glances down and sees Christy’s obliterated body and he rests against the bathroom wall. He feels his face and it is completely covered in blood. Not his own. He stays there for a prolonged amount of time, he is not even sure how long but he waits until his heart slows down and the adrenaline coursing through him dissipates. 

~~

“Hello?”

His stomach almost drops out of him completely at the sound of Beth’s voice talking to him through the phone. 

“Hey Beth, is Eduardo there?” Mark asks her, his voice trying to remain as calm as he can make it. 

“Oh hey! He is talking to the police”

He wants to ask her if is she ok, he wants to tell her he is sorry and he wants to hold her, take the pain out of her voice. 

“I’ll tell him to call you back if you want?”

Mark nods and hangs up, remembering his mother’s stern voice reminding him that she cannot hear him nodding or shaking his head over the phone. 

Mark almost has a strange moment where he is not sure what to do, he nearly panics. He leans against the payphone he is standing at, rests his forehead on the cold metal and lets it soothe him. 

Dialling the only other number he knows he lets out a sigh of relief when Dustin’s voice crackles through the phone line. 

“Mark is that you?” 

Mark almost smiles. Dustin knows it is him purely from the silence. 

He tells Dustin what happens, he doesn’t stop until he ends his story and knows that this is probably the most he has ever talked to Dustin in one session. 

“This Cook guy, he got a name?” Dustin asks with worry leaking through his voice. 

“Stan apparently, Christy could have been lying though!”

“Let me ring Divya, he might know him”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea”

He can picture Dustin right now, twirling the phone cord nervously.

“Yeah you’re right. Well let me check up on any Stan Cook’s in the area, stay by the pay phone, I’ll call you back”

Mark hands up the phone and waits by his car, scrubbing flecks of blood from the sleeve of his jacket.

“Ruined my favourite jacket the bastards” he mutters and jumps when he hears the phone ring. 

“Dustin?”

“Mark?” 

Mark freezes at the sound of Eduardo’s emotion-riddled voice and squeezes the phone that he holds against his ear. He forgot Beth had told him she would get Eduardo to call him back. 

“Wardo”

“You hear what happened?” 

Mark fights the urge to just confess everything but that would be inconvenient. 

“I’m sorry Wardo”

“I’m… I’m doing OK, its Beth I’m worried about. She is asleep now but she wakes up every fifteen minutes screaming for Standard”

Mark’s whole gut tightens and he can hear Eduardo’s worry.

“Can you come over?” 

There is a beat.

“I have to take care of some stuff and then I will be over, don’t worry”

Before he gets a reply, Mark hangs up the phone and barely a second passes before it rings again. 

“I found him, Stanley Cook, works in a strip club downtown, his name is on the sign, should be easy enough to spot”

Mark thanks Dustin and hangs up the phone. 

~~

The sign is as gaudy as Mark expected. Glitter, flashing lights, degrading photos of women all over it. He glances at himself in the rear view mirror. He almost flinches at the sight of himself, he looks tired and there is a small speck of blood above his right eyebrow which he scrubs off hastily. 

He passes two burly security men before entering the door and descending a flight of stairs. He wants to take the time out to disapprove of the horrible interior of the club but he can hear his own blood pounding in his head, the bass coming from the speakers inside matches its fast rhythm. 

He spots a scantily clad female resting against the silver wall, texting on her phone. He focuses on her fake nails tapping across the keys.

“Where is Cook?”

Without looking at Mark she points to a door to the left.

“Is he definitely in there?”

She looks up at him now, her drawn on eyebrows lifting in annoyance. She nods her head as if Mark asked her the most obvious question in the world and returns to her phone. Making sure to give her a dirty look first, Mark steers away from her and towards the shut door.

As he walks up to it, his right hand, his strong hand, grips the hammer he has hidden up his sleeve. 

He opens the door and scans the room quickly. The room is circular and the walls are lined with mirrors. At each mirror sits a female, naked apart from their underwear. His eyes stop on the only man in the room and sees Cook sitting at a mirror, leering at a woman much younger in age than he is. 

With sudden blinding fury, Mark bounds over to him and raises his right hand bringing the hammer down to crush Cook’s knuckles on the table. Cook screams in pain and Mark strikes him three more times before throwing him from his chair and onto the floor. 

He leans over Cook, one knee on the ground beside his head and raises the hammer again. 

“NO! Please!” Cook cries, trying to block his face from Mark. 

“Whose money do I have?” Mark asks, hand shaking slightly. 

Cook whimpers and his frightened eyes scan Mark, wondering if he really can hurt him. 

Mark opens his jacket pocket and pulls out the bullet Beth was told to keep.

“You recognise this?” he asks Cook calmly and places the tip of the bullet onto Cook’s forehead, moving the hammer slightly to make Cook think he is going to hammer the bullet into his head like a nail. Mark wants to. He wants to know if it will feel the same as hammering a nail into a solid piece of wood. Wonders if it will make a cracking sound as it penetrates Cook’s skull. 

“I’ll get him on the phone” Cook stammers, his whole body trembling underneath Mark. 

“Do it” Mark warns.

“Get Tyler on the phone” Cook shouts at one of the girls who Mark noticed were completely unfazed by all of this. 

Tyler?

Mark’s head pounds all of a sudden. Tyler fucking Winklevoss is behind all of this? His heart sinks as he thinks of Dustin’s deal with Divya. How he told Dustin all of this. How Dustin might now be in danger. 

Cook begins to panic and Mark is sick of him. Sick of looking down at his scumbag face. He takes the bullet away from Cook’s forehead and shoves it into his mouth. Cook squeals and Mark forces it down into the back of his throat until Cook is gagging and tearing up. 

A woman hands Mark the phone and Mark rests it between his ear and his shoulder, holding the hammer in one hand and Cook’s mouth closed with the other. 

“Who is this?” a strange voice comes through the phone. It does not belong to Tyler. 

“I need to speak to Tyler”

“He is busy call again another time”

“He might want to take this, it’s about his money” Mark is shaking now, sweat threatening to fall off his forehead and onto Cook’s scarlet red face. 

There is a sound as the phone is handed to someone and finally Tyler’s voice comes through the line.

“Who is this?”

“I have your money”

There is a silence. 

“And what are you going to do with it?” Tyler is hesitant. 

“I don’t want it”

He almost hears Tyler snigger or maybe sigh, he can’t be sure. 

“So you’re going to give it back to me?”

Mark remains silent.

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“Just you”

“You are really bad at this”

Mark hangs up the phone. He wants to give Tyler his money back, he does not want it. But first, he needs to make sure Eduardo is safe and that Dustin has kept his big mouth shut. He leaves Cook lying on the ground, choking on the bullet. He knows Cook will let Tyler know it was Mark; he is fairly easy to describe. 

He will decide what to do after. After what, he does not know. He just knows he needs to see Eduardo. Needs to feel his warm skin under his cold fingertips. 

//


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK so this is the end and I'm not too happy with it but hopefully you guys will enjoy it! Thanks everyone who read this really.

Nervous is an understatement to what Mark feels when he pulls up outside the familiar grey building looming over him. He dreads the look in Beth’s eyes and the one Eduardo will have when he looks at Beth.

He hovers a few moments outside Eduardo’s apartment before knocking on the door. A strange woman answers and when Mark looks over his shoulder he can see Eduardo rushing around trying to get ready for work.

“Um, some dude is at the door” the woman drawls in between bubbles of chewing gum. 

Eduardo looks up and Mark’s heart flips when he watches his face light up. 

“Hey, I was just called into work” Eduardo calls and Mark impatiently barges past the annoying female blocking his way. 

“Beth?”

Eduardo points towards her bedroom door where the light is on but Mark can see her tiny figure buried under the duvet, the lump rising slowly with her sleeping breaths. 

“Can I talk to you?” Mark asks quietly, watching Eduardo lift the cushions off the sofa searching for something. Mark spots his nametag perched on the microwave and picks it up.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” Mark asks and Eduardo looks at his hands with a small smile. He takes it from Mark, brushing his hands, causing Mark’s skin to erupt in goose bumps. 

“You wanted to talk?” 

Eduardo is still rushing around and his lack of focus is starting to irritate Mark.

“Yeah, it’s important”

Eduardo looks up at his tone, a frown in his brow. 

“OK, you can drive me to work” his voice lifts at the end of the sentence, as if asking Mark’s permission. 

Mark nods and ignores the girl and walks out the door. His hands fidget in his jacket pocket as he waits for Eduardo to walk out of the apartment. 

Mark takes a proper look at him as he takes a quick drink of water from the tap. He looks tired. Mark can make out the small bags under his eyes, the way his lips settle into a natural frown when he is not talking. His hands shake and his hair is a mess. But Mark can’t help but marvel at the sight of him. He is honestly the most beautiful thing Mark has ever seen.

“You ready?” Eduardo’s bright tone snaps Mark out of his thoughts and causes him to blush. 

“I was with Standard when he died” Mark blurts out and Eduardo stops fidgeting with his jacket. He turns to look at Mark with a new expression on his face. One of pure anger.

“Excuse me?” Eduardo asks but the question is rhetorical. 

“Some guys said he owed them protection money from when he was inside. They threatened to come after you and Beth if he didn’t pay. So I offered to help him”

“Help him do what Mark?” Eduardo’s eyes are fiery and his mouth is in a tight line. 

“I offered to drive him to and from the pawn shop when he robbed it, I had no idea that… that that would happen”

Mark gulps and before Eduardo can reply, he suddenly has an idea.

“I have the money. The money Standard stole. You can take it; get yourself and Beth away from here. Maybe I can come with you. To protect you”

Eduardo slaps Mark. A sharp slap that ripples across Mark’s face and brings tears to his eyes. 

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” Eduardo hisses, looking scared now at his own violence. 

“I didn’t want to upset you” Mark says, trying to show how genuine he is by reaching out and squeezing Eduardo’s hands.

“Jesus Christ” Eduardo breathes out and rubs his forehead, blinking rapidly but squeezing Mark’s hands back. 

“I’m sorry Wardo, I really am” Mark breaks off as he feels a lump rise in his throat. Eduardo looks at Mark and his expression is unreadable. 

Eduardo reaches out and pushes the button of the elevator and then up to Marks face. He brushes his thumb softly over the place he slapped him. 

“Your face is bright red” he whispers and his expression has become apologetic. 

“It was some slap alright, I would hate to see your right hook” Mark jokes and rests his hands atop Eduardo’s. They stand looking at each other and Mark feels heat coil in his stomach when Eduardo licks his bottom lip causing it to glisten in the dark hallway. 

They jump apart when the elevator bell rings and the door slides open. Inside it is a man dressed in an awful looking suit with slicked back hair. Completely out of place in this neighbourhood and Mark is suddenly on high alert. 

“Oh sorry, wrong floor” the man smiles at them, backing into the elevator and making room for the two of them. Mark puts his hand on Eduardo’s lower back and guides him into the corner of the elevator. Mark blocks Eduardo from the man’s view and reaches around him to press the button for the parking lot. 

The silence in the small space is thick. Mark eyes the man beside him who is also eyeing Mark. The man’s suit jacket is open and Mark’s heart thuds when he spots a gun in a holster right under the man’s armpit. Eduardo may be behind him but he is completely at risk. Mark fights back the surge of panic creeping up his chest. 

He turns around and Eduardo is half smiling at him, the buttons on his jacket only half done up, making him look completely adorable. His eyes flicker with confusion at the way Mark is staring at him. Mark invades his space and runs his index finger down the last two buttons of Eduardo’s jacket, popping them open easily. 

He reaches his hand inside the jacket and rests his hand on Eduardo’s hip, digging his fingers into the skin of Eduardo’s back. 

Eduardo’s pupils are blown and he scans Mark’s face, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Mark pushes him lightly against the wall of the elevator and Eduardo lets out a small gasp. It feels like slow motion when Mark finally leans up on his toes and captures Eduardo’s lips in his own. 

Just like he expected, Eduardo’s lips are soft and sweet. Mark presses his whole boy against him, hungrily gliding his tongue into Eduardo’s mouth and kidnaps the small whimpers coming from Eduardo’s throat as he kisses Mark back. His hands come up to cup Mark jaw and his long fingers tickle his jaw and throat, pulling Mark even closer than both though possible. 

Mark savours the moment, savours the feel of Eduardo’s mouth and tongue against his own. He puts the memory of Eduardo’s noises and feel of his fingers to the very back of his brain. 

Then, as if a light switch was flicked, Mark pulls away. He ignores the desperate groan emitting from Eduardo and turns swiftly on the man who is staring at the two of them with a look of disgust. The man starts to reach inside his jacket and Mark moves to action. 

He grabs the man’s arm and bends it back, he think he hears it snap, and then grabs him by the throat. He hears Eduardo let out a small shout of panic when the man fights against Mark’s grip, flipping the two of them around. It works to Mark’s advantage as the man lands on the floor, Eduardo jumps back against the door and Mark has room to stand over the man. 

He sees the gun and feels Eduardo’s presence behind him. This man was sent here to kill Eduardo, maybe even Beth too. For that, he must pay.

Mark kicks him in the stomach first. Hard and with anger, he feels the man’s ribs break under his feet and revels in it. The man is crying out with pain and Mark wants him to shut up. So he moves onto his face. He kicks it repeatedly and soon the man’s mouth is too full of blood, or too deformed to make a sound. He loses himself in the violence completely. 

He stomps on the man’s skull; he likes the feeling of things breaking under his power. He feels the man’s skull crush, he hears the squelch as his foot lands on the mush that was once a face. 

The elevator bings and Mark stomps a few more times before turning around. Eduardo is outside the elevator. His face is white. No. Green. His eyes are wide and terrified. He looks at Mark with another new expression.

Fear. Horror. Utter disgust. 

Mark shakes under it and opens his mouth only to have a drop of blood slide from his cheek into it. The blood he tastes is not his own. 

Before he can even breathe, the elevator door closes and Eduardo is out of his sight. He sits down on the floor in order to collect himself. After a time the smell gets too much and he presses the button to open the door.

He was expecting it but his stomach still sinks at the empty parking lot. He walks over to his car and wipes his face with his jacket sleeve. The damn thing is bloody enough anyway. 

He sits in the driver’s seat and then his brain sets into motion. How did the man know where Eduardo lived?

Divya.

Dustin. 

~~

_Two hour earlier_

Tyler was sitting behind the counter, leaning against the cooker and Divya was pacing the restaurant. Cook was sitting in the seat Dustin had been in a few days earlier. His arm is in a sling and his face is bruised. He could barely speak as he told them the story of the kid with the scorpion jacket. 

“That’s Dustin’s partner right? The driver” Tyler eyes Divya who looks sick with worry.

“Yeah it must be” Cook adds as if he knows what Tyler is talking about.

“Shut the fuck up you fucking monkey” Divya snaps at him and Cook flips him off but does what he is told.

Divya unwillingly nods his head to Tyler’s question and Tyler slams his fists down onto the counter.

“Dammit Div” 

With that, Divya knows what he has to do and he shakes with anger and sorrow.

“It has to be done” Tyler says, looking grim.

Divya feels a sudden anger as he takes in Tyler. His stupid long face and his stupid authority.

He picks up a fork where Cook is sitting and jabs it into Cook’s eye making him shriek with pain. He turns around to the cutlery and takes out a butcher knife. He easily stabs it into Cook’s exposed neck. Over and over until his annoying shrieking stops and the blood spurts all over the impeccably clean table. 

He wipes the knife on Cook’s jacket sleeve and throws it down onto the counter.

“Now it’s your turn to clean up after me” Divya growls at Tyler’s gobsmacked face and he takes his leave.

~~

Mark pulls up to Dustin’s garage and hops out of the car. Dustin is outside waiting for him, his ginger hair lighting in a strange array of colours under the streetlight his car was parked under.

Mark rushes over and stands right in front of him. Dustin’s grin falters when he takes in Mark’s furious expression.

“Did you tell Divya?” Mark snaps.

Dustin flinches slightly and he starts to rub his hand up and down his hip, a tell-tale sign of his nervousness.

“I asked him who Cook was, he figured it out I guess” Dustin looks down at his feet, knowing his actions have landed Mark in deep trouble.

Mark breathes out heavily and grabs the collar of Dustin’s shirt and pushes him against his car. 

“They came after Eduardo Dustin. And Beth. A kid Dustin, a fucking kid” 

Dustin’s brown eyes glisten worriedly. 

“I’m sorry, I really am” he whispers and gulps when Mark refuses to let go of him. 

“Don’t you realise what you have done?! They are gonna come after you first. Then me”

Dustin looks downright terrified now when he realises Mark is right. 

“You need to get out of here Dustin. They are gonna get you if you don’t” Mark relaxes his grip but his hands don’t let go, keeping Dustin close to make him realise the danger he is in. 

“Yeah OK kid, I have a friend I can stay with. His names Chris, lovely guy” Dustin starts and stops when Mark grunts in angry acceptance.

“Get out of here Dustin, now” Mark urges and starts to get in his car.

“What about you?!” Dustin calls and Mark starts the car. 

“I have to take care of a few things first” Mark says. He smiles at Dustin then. A real smile for his friend, he hopes he will see him again when this all cools down. Dustin returns it with a wider grin of his own; the one Mark is used to.

“See ya soon buddy” Dustin says and his smile reads all the affection he has for Mark that he can’t quite put into words.

Mark nods and pulls out of the garage, looking at Dustin’s helpless figure grow smaller in the rear view mirror. 

~~

He drives to the movie set and walks into the make-up trailer. He snorts at the ignorance of movie producers and their lack of security. He picks up the mask he was used to putting on for his stunts and brings it with him.

Next he pulls up to Tyler’s restaurant. He parks directly opposite it and sees that it is crowded with people even though the sign has been flipped to “closed”. He puts on the mask and zips his jacket all the way up to the top and makes sure his leather gloves are covering his hands. 

He walks up to the restaurant slowly, the mask making it quite hard for him to see through the small slits for eyes. He peeks in the window and takes in a deep breath. 

Tyler is sitting on a table while a woman pinches his cheek. They are both laughing and the whole restaurant is full of laughing people, some drinking champagne and some eating cake. Mark sees a happy birthday banner hanging on the menu. What must be Tyler’s twin is sitting on another table, dressed more smartly than Tyler and also cooing over a woman. 

Everyone seems so happy and the music is making the window Mark is looking through tremble.

Mark pulls back. He wants Tyler. Not his whole family. So he waits in his car. He waits hours, watching as more and more people leave the restaurant until Tyler himself leaves, jumping into the back of a black car. He has his own personal driver which Mark can’t help but snort at. 

Without taking his mask off, Mark follows the black car and finds himself following it along the coast road. He winds further up the hills after the black car and hears the waves from the Pacific Ocean lap against the rocks beneath him. 

He decides to cut the car off and as it sits at a junction, Mark revs the engine, bolting the car into the back of Tyler’s. The car jumps forward a few feet and smoke emits from the engine at the contact. 

Mark reverses and pulls away. He can see Tyler twisting around the back seat. He curses himself at his own inaccuracy and impatience. 

As the car pulls away again Mark waits this time. He waits until the car is right on a corner above the beach. He rams his car into the side of Tyler’s at a faster speed than last time. 

It works and with a jolt of ecstasy he watches the car skid and roll down the small hill into a sand dune. 

The lighthouse Mark used to drive to with Dustin on their days off is casting a thrilling white light over the scene every five seconds. 

The car is in tatters but Mark hops out of his own anyway, just in case. He was right to do so as he sees Tyler crawl out of the wreckage. He crawls down the sand and turns around. He squints in Mark’s direction as Mark stands at the top of the hill. 

He can almost see Tyler’s heart quicken as he backs away from Mark who has started making his way down the hill. 

The lighthouse light makes Tyler’s eyes look more fearful and his skin paler. 

“Who are you?!” Tyler basically screams when Mark advances nearer him. He stands up, limping slightly as he runs into the waves breaking on the sand. Mark follows him calmly, not needing to run as Tyler is slowed down by the injury to his leg and the resistance of tide. 

Mark reaches him finally and Tyler closes his eyes in fear. He tries to struggle but Mark is too strong and he thrashes in panic when Mark ducks him under a particularly large wave. 

After ten flashes of the lighthouse light, Mark lets go and on the eleventh he watches Tyler’s lifeless body wash away into the sea.

~~

Dustin is rushing around his small shabby apartment. He always loved it but knew deep down that it was a place nobody else should witness. He has a small duffel bag open on his bed and throws what few articles of clothing he has left into it. With a heavy sigh he eyes his run down home with a fond farewell and leaves.

He walks into the garage, checking everything is in place before grabbing the keys to the black jeep he had been painting. He nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears a cough come from the shadow of the doorway.

He whips around and sees Divya standing with his hands folded across his chest. He looks almost sad and Dustin realises what is happening with a sinking heart. 

“How’d you get in?” he asks Divya, the usual grin spreading across his face. But it is not the grin Dustin fell into so naturally, it was a fake one, fake and resigned. 

“Door was open, you should be more careful in a neighbourhood like this” Divya nods out the open door where the sound of sirens shrieks in the distance. 

“Ah” 

“Where’s your partner?” Diva asks and steps closer to Dustin, making him tense up in fear.

“I dunno. I think he said he was going to Belize. Maybe Mexico” Dustin smiles, his hands shaking and Divya sighs at him and raises an eyebrow. 

“I think we both know you are lying” Divya mutters and his tone is dangerous and the hairs on the back of Dustin’s freckled neck stand up. 

“Going somewhere?” Divya asks, pointing lazily at the bag in Dustin’s hand but Dustin ignores his question letting it hang in the air. 

“My partners a belligerent asshole with his back against the wall and now, so am I” Divya shrugs and looks almost apologetic as he steps even closer to Dustin. That simple but menacing sentence explains everything to Dustin. He is too dangerous for Divya and Tyler to keep around. He knows all about Cook and Standard and the kid’s involvement in it. 

He realises with a feeling like a punch to the gut that he does not even know the damn kids name. 

Dustin starts to shake and curses inwardly at his weakness. Divya looks sad and holds out his hand for Dustin to shake. Dustin frowns at the gesture but willingly reaches his hand out to take Divya’s.

Divya grabs Dustin’s hand and with his free hand he reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out a shaving blade. With it he slices Dustin’s arm from his elbow down to his wrist. Dustin lets out a shout of pain and shock. 

“It’s OK, it’s over Dustin, that’s it, no more pain” Divya says softly and guides Dustin down onto the ground. He slumps against the car and his arm gushes blood all over the cold hard concrete underneath his body. He shivers as he loses more and more blood, his skin draining of its usual rosiness. 

Divya looks down on him and his own eyes look like they are filled with tears as Dustin’s last breaths fill the air. 

An hour later Divya takes a long time and careful consideration cleaning the blood of his friend from the sharp blade that he is accustomed to using. With an unusual heavy feeling in his heart and stomach, he puts it back in the case and says a silent prayer for Dustin when he closes the lid. 

~~

After cleaning his hands numerous times in a diner bathroom, Mark travels back to Dustin’s garage to make sure his friend is gone. He has a terrible feeling as he pulls into the parking lot and spots the garage door lying open. 

He closes the door to his car quietly just to be on the safe side. He strolls in and sees a pair of bright yellow converse poking out from the side of a car. Mark walks over and gasps when he sees Dustin’s vibrant orange hair resting against his shoulder, pointing downwards at his arm which has been cut open. 

Mark falls to his knees beside him and catches Dustin’s chin in his hand. Dustin’s face is porcelain white, his eyes shut tight and a ghost of a grimace left on his face. Mark can’t help the tears that slip from his eyes as he takes in the sight of his dead best friend.

He always thought Dustin would die smiling but instead his life has been taken from him in a cruel way and Mark’s fingers twitch with the sudden need for revenge.

He will avenge Dustin’s death and he rushes out to his car, speeding off into the night heading for his apartment. 

~~

Standing at his window and looking out into the dark city beneath him, Mark scans through his phone for Divya’s phone number. Now that Tyler is out, he is surely the only person left Mark can work with. 

The phone rings once, twice, three times before Divya’s voice speaks through the line. 

“Hello?”

“You ever hear the story about the scorpion and the frog? Your friend Tyler didn’t make it across” Mark says, trying to keep his voice as monotonous as possible. 

There is a long pause before Divya speaks and his tone is just as neutral as Mark’s.

“You got the money?” 

“Yeah, I don’t want it” Mark spits out.

“Meet me at the Chinese restaurant on park avenue tomorrow at seven”

Mark nods his head and hangs up the phone. For the rest of the night Mark itches to walk over to Eduardo’s and apologise for what he had to see but Mark doubts Eduardo will even open the door to him. 

The following day Mark drives around the city to relax, he plays his favourite music and drives to his favourite places. He drive to Dustin’s garage and stays in the parking lot for a majority of the day, eating take-out in his car as he stares at the now empty and foreboding building. 

At six pm Mark dials Eduardo’s phone and after what seems like a lifetime the phone picks up. Mark’s mouth dries up and his heart feels like it is about to rip out of his chest. 

“Can I talk to you?”

There is no reply but he can hear Eduardo’s faint breathing and knows he is listening. He can almost picture him with his Bambi like eyes, biting a nail or twiddling his short hair as he contemplates hanging up on Mark or not. He waits another few seconds and when Eduardo does not hang up Mark takes it as a good sign.

“I won't keep you long. I have to go somewhere and I don't think I can come back. But I just wanted you to know. Wardo- getting to be around you and Beth was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

He can make out Eduardo’s sharp intake of breath but gets no reply. He bites down on his lip and tries to decide whether he should tell him how he really feels before hanging up. 

He takes the phone away from his ear and his eyes land on the red button to hang up. His thumb hovers over it and he gulps. He accepted his looming fate during the night. He could possibly die today and he realises that he should be honest with at least one person before that happens. And who better than the one man that knows his name. 

“I love you” he whispers and presses the red button, throwing the phone onto the passenger’s seat and speeding off towards Park Avenue. 

~~

The Chinese restaurant is colourful and lively, a wonderful contrast to Mark’s current situation. He walks in and spots Divya sitting at a table for two wearing an important looking suit. Mark scoffs and looks down at his own blood stained jacket. 

He sits down at the table and looks at Divya with what he hopes is a smirk. 

Divya adjusts his tie and clears his throat before opening his mouth to speak to Mark.

“Here's what I'm prepared to offer. You give me the money, the boy is safe. Forever”

Mark breathes out heavily and thinks of Eduardo. Divya knows his weak point and Mark knows why he has never let himself fall in love. It’s too dangerous.

“Nobody knows about him. He's off the map. But I can't offer you the same.”

Mark narrows his eyes and twiddles the fork that gleams when the light hits it. 

“So, this is what I would suggest. We conclude our deal. We'll shake hands. You start the rest of your life. Any dreams you have, or plans, or hopes for your future... I think you're going to have to put that on hold. For the rest of your life you're going to be looking over your shoulder. I'm just telling you this because I want you to know the truth”

He smiles at Mark as if he is doing Mark a huge favour, as if what he is saying is nice and friendly. 

“But the boy is safe” 

Mark does not trust Divya but he nods his head in agreement. 

“Where’s the money now?” Divya asks and Mark notices how he leans forward in his chair slightly.

“It’s in the car”

“Come on” 

He stands up and nods to the waiters who smile enthusiastically at the two of them. Mark follows Divya, keeping his distance and eyeing him warily. 

They walk out to Mark’s car and he opens the trunk, revealing the bag with the stacks of dollars in it. 

Divya grins and turns to Mark looking as if he is about to hug him. Mark is not surprised when he feels a sharp blade enter his lower abdomen. He bites down on his lip so as not to scream from the pain. He has never felt such agony as the razorblade lacerates his insides. 

Divya grins happily as he twists the blade sharply. He does not notice the knife in Mark’s hand and shouts when Mark jabs him where he knows his kidneys lie. Mark is glad that the body could protect almost every vital organ but not the kidneys as he feels the knife enter one. In a matter of minutes Divya will be bled dry.

They both slump down onto the ground. Divya starts to convulse on the ground, releasing his grip on the blade in Mark’s stomach. Mark grits his teeth as he pulls the blade out and let’s himself whimper when it is finally removed. 

Leaving Divya there to wither away, Mark opens his car door, not wanting to die by his side. He sits in the driver’s seat and leans his head against the comforter and shuts his eyes tight. 

~~

Eduardo has been in deep thought for some time after Mark’s phone call. 

What did he mean he probably wouldn’t be coming back? Why did he have to involve himself in Standard’s troubles? He loves him? 

He tries his best to ignore the last question as he finds himself out of breath each time he does.

He remembers the squelch as Mark’s boot landed in that man’s skull. He can’t see past it but he wants to. His heart belongs to Mark. He knows that. He has known it since the day he met him. He usually snorted at such an idea but even a glance from Mark or a simple touch could have him tingling for days. 

And Mark _loves_ him. 

He glances at the clock. Eight O clock in the evening. 

Mark is usually home at that time and he tells Beth to wait as he makes his way out the door. His fingers are crossed as he bangs on Mark’s door. 

There is no answer and Eduardo knocks for a further five minutes, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes as his hope starts to fizzle. 

He screams for Mark to answer him in his head and he panics and cries when he remembers Mark saying he won’t be back.

He rests his forehead against the door and breathes in harshly. With a small sniff he wipes his eyes and finally returns to his apartment, pretty sure that his heart is broken.

~~

Mark’s eyes are open. His stare is pointed towards the setting sun. His hand presses firmly against the open wound on his stomach and his fingers are crimson red and his fingernails black. 

The air is warm and birds chirp merrily from their nests in the trees. 

Divya’s limp body lies beside Mark’s car, the bag of money lying open beside him. Every time there is a soft breeze another few dollars drift out of the bag and into the air. A few lucky people will find them and it will make their day. 

Mark blinks once.

He blinks again.

He takes in a deep breath. It hurts him but he turns his key in the ignition and his engine rumbles to life.

Looking down at Divya, Mark feels relief for Dustin’s death. He looks at the money and frowns at it, hating every single cent in that bag.

Although he is seeing little white dots every time he blinks, Mark drives off and away from the parking lot.

He drives for a long time. He drives away from it all, leaving it behind with the bag and the body.

His brain screams at him to go to a hospital but he only has one destination in mind.

Eduardo.

///


End file.
